NVIDIA Receives WHQL Certification For Windows 7 Driver

Developers Are Rapidly Taking Advantage of the Parallel Processing Power of NVIDIA GPUs to Deliver a Faster, More Immersive Visual Computing Experience

SANTA CLARA, Calif.- Aug. 18, 2009 - By harnessing the parallel processing power of NVIDIA GeForce GPUs and DirectCompute, a new technology in Windows 7, developers can take the power of graphics processors and make it available for general-purpose computing and create cutting-edge digital media applications.

Today, NVIDIA demonstrated leadership in the GPU computing revolution by receiving Windows Hardware Qualification Lab (WHQL) certification for a driver supporting DirectCompute and Windows 7. With hundreds of applications that take advantage of the power of NVIDIA GPUs in development or already available, DirectCompute enables more than 100 million users of GeForce GPUs to run applications optimized for DirectCompute so they can spend less time waiting and more time creating and sharing content with friends and families.

“Windows 7 combined with applications that take advantage of the new DirectCompute technology have the potential to transform the personal computing experience for millions of customers using GPUs to turbo-charge scenarios in digital media applications,” said Mike Ybarra, general manager for Windows Product Management at Microsoft Corp. “We’ve already seen some applications come to market that take advantage of the GPU, Windows 7 and DirectCompute will make it even easier for developers to write applications and deliver these benefits to millions of additional customers.”

In addition to multimedia content, Windows 7 is proving to be a powerhouse platform for gaming too. Windows 7 and NVIDIA SLI technology will deliver the fastest gaming platform in the world, exceeding the performance of previous operating systems by up to 14% across top gaming titles1. Windows 7 also adds GPU accelerated H.264 high-definition video playback to Windows Media Player, enabling smooth playback with low CPU utilization.

In recognition of this, the world’s largest PC vendors, including HP, Dell and Acer, have selected GeForce GPUs to help lead the transition to Windows 7. Shipping systems incorporate a variety of NVIDIA GPUs, including the newest GeForce GT220 and G210 GPUs, all of which fully support DirectCompute.

“People want to create multimedia content and share it with their friends and families in an instant," said Michael Scheschuk, Dell director of consumer products. "Dell PCs with Windows 7 can harness the power of GPUs to help make that happen. For example, Windows 7’s DirectCompute feature makes it easier to share personal videos with drag-and-drop support for transferring high-definition videos to portable media player devices. Multimedia enthusiasts using Dell PCs with NVIDIA GPUs can experience a dramatic increase in video processing speed, which translates to minimal computing delays and more time to share memorable and immersive experiences with friends and family.”

DirectCompute will be distributed as part of the DirectX 11 API and is supported by NVIDIA’s current lineup of DirectX 10 GPUs. Windows developers who are interested in learning more about developing with DirectCompute and NVIDIA GPUs can get more information at www.nvidia.com/directcompute.

Consumers already running a GeForce GPU with Windows 7 can download the new WHQL-certified drivers supporting DirectCompute directly from www.nvidia.com/drivers later this week.